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In 1860, the North and the South of the United States were very different societies. The North had abolished slavery in the early 19th century, while the South still relied on slaves to work on its farms and plantations. The first chapter will set the scene, showing how simmering tensions over the right to keep slaves in the new states that were being founded as the country pushed westwards eventually erupted into war following the election of the pro-abolition president, Abraham Lincoln.The middle chapters provide an overview of the major battles that followed the South's decision to secede from the Union. Momentum swung backwards and forwards in the early years before the North eventually gained the upper hand, forcing the South's surrender in 1865.